Traveling is tough on the body and on the mind. It can also wreak havoc on any exercise regime that you may have in place (or exercise habits you may be trying to form). Instead of letting the travel itinerary get you off track, learn to make exercise part of your travel experience.

1. Take advantage of the hotel’s exercise room. Today many lodging facilities also offer state of the art gyms. Spend some time first thing in the morning taking advantage of the amenities.

2. Go for a swim. Book a hotel that offers an indoor pool. Spend some time in the morning, or winding down at the end of the day, swimming a few laps. Top off the exercise with a long soak in the hot tub (or steam room).

3. Use your own gym’s reciprocal program. Many of the gym chains allow members to use their membership at any of the gyms across the country. Be sure to check your home gym’s rules before you start on vacation and then find a gym near your hotel in order to take full advantage of the facilities.

4. See if your hotel offers a private trainer. Schedule work outs with the trainer before you arrive and let him help you stay on track during your trip.

5. Skip the cab when possible. Walk to your destinations when you can. Although the stairs can be a great work out, avoid walking in any stair wells that are not well used. Walking in an empty stairwell can make you and easy target for crime.

6. Bring your routine with you. If you normal do aerobics or Pilates then bring an exercise DVD with you on your trip. Most hotels provide DVD players in every room, but even those that don’t probably provide one on request.

7. Check with the desk front of your hotel for local gyms that might offer temporary memberships for visitors. It may be that the hotel can even arrange the membership for you (or the hotel might have a program where its guests can use local facilities at no extra charge).

Keeping an exercise routine while you are away on a trip or vacation does not have to be difficult. With a little planning before (and during) your time away from home, you can keep your exercise program right on track. The key is to keep moving in one way or another.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 6:43 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.